A South Korean newspaper reported that a senior North Korean official in Cuba defected to South Korea in November, becoming the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea since 2016.
Before defecting to South Korea, Ri Il-gyu, 52, was in charge of political affairs at the North Korean embassy in Cuba. Chosun Ilbo He said Tuesday, citing an interview with Ri.
The paper said Ri’s work at the embassy also included blocking diplomatic ties between North Korea’s rival South Korea and longtime ally Cuba, which the two countries established in February.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, declined to confirm the reports, citing privacy concerns.
It often takes months for details about defectors to emerge, as they need permission from authorities and undergo an education course on South Korean society and the system.
According to the Korea News Agency, Ri joined North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999 and was commended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2013 for successfully negotiating with Panama to release a North Korean ship carrying weapons from Cuba.
He told the paper that he decided to leave because of disillusionment with the administration and what he felt was an unfair assessment of his work.
“Everyone who lives in North Korea has thought about living in South Korea at least once. Disillusionment with the North Korean regime and a bleak future made me consider defecting,” he told the paper.
“In fact, the people of North Korea long for unification even more than the people of South Korea. They all believe that unification is the only way to give their children a better future. Today, Kim Jong Un’s regime is cruelly snuffing out even the sliver of hope left among the people.”
The last known high-profile defector to South Korea was Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the UK, in 2016.
Other notable defections include Jo Song-gil, acting ambassador to Italy in 2019, and Ryu Hyun-woo, acting ambassador to Kuwait in 2021, who served as first secretary and counselor, respectively, according to the Chosun Ilbo.
North Korea closed several embassies last year as part of efforts to “efficiently reorganize its diplomatic capabilities,” but South Korea says the closures show Pyongyang is struggling under the strain of sanctions.
North Korea maintains an embassy in Cuba, but its ambassador returned home in March, according to media reports.
Reuters contributed to this report.
